{"id":372545,"date":"2026-06-24T04:49:20","date_gmt":"2026-06-24T04:49:20","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/372545\/"},"modified":"2026-06-24T04:49:20","modified_gmt":"2026-06-24T04:49:20","slug":"deeply-saddened-california-couple-found-dead-along-highway-were-headed-to-oregon-festival","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/372545\/","title":{"rendered":"\u2018Deeply saddened\u2019: California couple found dead along highway were headed to Oregon festival"},"content":{"rendered":"

PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN<\/a>) \u2014 An elderly California couple died on their way to an Oregon theater festival earlier this month, according to reports.<\/p>\n

Records from California Highway Patrol show 84-year-old Judith Sheldon and 86-year-old Wylie Sheldon were found dead in the Redding area on Monday, June 15. Authorities revealed an officer stopped after seeing a 2022 Jeep Compass parked along the side of northbound Interstate 5 around 5:46 p.m. that evening, when the couple was found unresponsive as their vehicle was still running with Judith behind the wheel and Wylie in the passenger side.<\/p>\n

\u00a0‘Especially concerning’: Invasive emerald ash borer spotted in 3 more Oregon cities\u00a0<\/a><\/p>\n

CHP noted emergency responders attempted to administer medical aid, but both individuals were pronounced dead on the scene. Officials estimated their deaths “appeared to be medically related.”<\/p>\n

The San Francisco Chronicle referred<\/a> to the Sheldons as “longtime arts patrons,” with Judith being the daughter of Oscar-winning director William Wyler. She also served as chair of the San Francisco Silent Film Festival’s Board of Directors.<\/p>\n

She and Wylie were headed to the Oregon Shakespeare Festival in Ashland before they were found dead, according to the Chronicle.<\/p>\n

“The Oregon Shakespeare Festival is deeply saddened by the loss of Judith and Wylie Sheldon,” OSF said in a statement to KOIN 6. “They were patrons and supporters of OSF, and we recognize their support of arts and cultural organizations throughout the region. Our hearts are with their family, friends, and loved ones during this difficult time. We extend our sincere condolences to all who knew them.”<\/p>\n

\u00a0Right turns at red lights could be prohibited at more Portland intersections\u00a0<\/a><\/p>\n

National Weather Service data show Redding hit a maximum temperature of 109 degrees the day the Sheldons were found. The agency also issued an extreme heat warning in the area.<\/p>\n

The couple’s cause of death remains under investigation, according to CHP.<\/p>\n

Copyright 2026 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.<\/p>\n

\u00a0For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KOIN.com.\u00a0<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) \u2014 An elderly California couple died on their way to an Oregon theater festival earlier…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":372546,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[7,9,859,8,148097,148095,150889,148093,148096],"class_list":["post-372545","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-california","tag-california","tag-california-headlines","tag-california-highway-patrol","tag-california-news","tag-jeep-compass","tag-judith-sheldon","tag-oregon-shakespeare-festival","tag-william-wyler","tag-wylie-sheldon"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/372545","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=372545"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/372545\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/372546"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=372545"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=372545"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=372545"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}